From Passion To Practice: How Jericho Group Helps Small Businesses Launch And Grow

What if the gap between your idea and your first paying customer is smaller than you think? We sit down with Erick Gonzalez, founder of The Jericho Group, to break apart the myth that only high-tech, billion-dollar ideas deserve to exist. Erick shares a grounded path for new and small business owners: build a lean plan, validate demand, secure smart financing, and focus relentlessly on execution. No jargon, no hype—just the practical moves that turn local dreams into real businesses.

Erick’s journey runs through years of nonprofit volunteering and a career in finance and strategy, where he helped friends and founders turn scattered notes into working plans. That experience shaped a consulting approach built on clarity, trust, and momentum. We get into how referrals become the most honest marketing, why relationship-driven outreach beats spray-and-pray tactics, and the small operational wins—cash flow tracking, simple metrics, tight processes—that free owners to grow with confidence.

We also explore the human side of entrepreneurship. Erick talks about the value of rest, family time, travel, and the beach as anchors that keep decision-making clear when the stakes feel high. He even sketches a podcast concept that spotlights entrepreneurs’ journeys, focusing on real-world pivots, funding scrapes, and the kind of collaborative problem-solving that helps founders feel less alone. The throughline is a promise: you don’t need perfection or a massive platform—you need a cadence of action and partners who have your back.

If you’re ready to move from ideas to outcomes, this conversation lays out a 90-day mindset: test one channel, clarify one offer, fix one bottleneck, and track one metric you can influence now. Progress compounds when you work the plan. Visit: https://tjg-g.com/

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, a place where
local businesses and neighborscome together.
Here's your host, Rachel Five.

SPEAKER_01 (00:14):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Now, if you're an entrepreneuror own a small business and in
need of results-driven businessconsulting, well, you know, that
resource is really closer thanyou think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Eric Gonzalez, with the JerichoGroup.
Eric, how's it going?

SPEAKER_00 (00:35):
Good morning, everyone.
Great to see you.

SPEAKER_01 (00:38):
Wonderful.
Well, gosh, Eric, we're reallyexcited to learn about your
business.
So tell us about your company.

SPEAKER_00 (00:43):
Yeah, so um I uh Jericho Group was formed, really
focused on helping smallbusiness owners launch, get
started, and take their ideasand put them into play and um,
you know, have their dreams cometrue as far as owning their own
business.

SPEAKER_01 (01:02):
Wonderful.
Well, how did you get into thisbusiness yourself?

SPEAKER_00 (01:07):
Yeah, so it started really uh probably about 20
years ago.
Um, I've always had a passionfor entrepreneurs or people who
really want to um establishtheir own business and and and
you know make a difference andestablish a legacy for
themselves and their families.

(01:28):
So through volunteering with acouple nonprofits, um, helping
you know friends and family thathad a business idea and needed
to put together a business planor figure out how to source
financing or capital, um, Ireally started noticing that I
was very passionate about uhentrepreneurs and small

(01:48):
businesses.
And then, you know, through along, long-term career in
finance and strategy, um, I feltthat it was the time to put all
those lessons and experienceinto play and helping uh small
businesses uh expand and or getstarted.

SPEAKER_01 (02:06):
Wonderful.
Well, what do you think aremaybe some myths or
misconceptions in your industry?

SPEAKER_00 (02:12):
I think um, you know, the first thing is that
um, you know, you have to be avery uh, although this is great,
you have to be a verysophisticated high-tech um
company or have a you know abillion-dollar idea that
immediately has to come in intoplay.

(02:33):
But I think sometimes thesmaller uh type of businesses
that we interact with day to daycan certainly be very successful
and uh very fulfilling uh forthose that uh want to put you
know the hours and the hard workto make it happen.

SPEAKER_01 (02:50):
Wonderful.
Now we know marketing is reallyat the heart of every business.
So how are you finding your yourclients?

SPEAKER_00 (02:57):
Um great.
So I think one of the besttestaments that validates kind
of what I'm doing is that uhthrough referrals and through uh
friends and and family andcontacts that bring people to me
that say, hey, you know,so-and-so had this business
idea, but they don't know how toget started, or somebody's

(03:20):
thinking about establishingoperations in a different part
of the country, what do theyneed to know?
So thankfully, it's been a lotof uh referrals that I've you
know that I've received.
Um, I know that's not um alwaysgonna be the case.
Uh so certainly um have themarketing and the channel

(03:42):
management all ready to go, um,you know, in in terms of the
different seasons that willcome.

SPEAKER_01 (03:48):
Yeah.
Now, have you ever thought aboutdoing your own podcast?

SPEAKER_00 (03:52):
Um, I have I haven't really.
I think not I I I'm very I don'tlike to focus just on myself.
I think the way I would do itwould be uh highlighting those
business owners or orentrepreneurs and then coming
alongside and talking about thejourney and how we partner
together to make somethinghappen.

(04:14):
So I think it would be verycollaborative and not not a solo
effort.

SPEAKER_01 (04:18):
Nice, nice.
Now, um, outside of work, whatdo you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_00 (04:23):
I am uh I absolutely love the beach uh and outdoors.
So I whenever I can I get myselfa good coffee or a book and
spend time outside.
Absolutely love traveling.
Um so you know, wish I could beuh doing more of that.
And then uh definitely last butnot least is spending time with

(04:47):
my family and just seeing them,you know, have a uh kid.
So just seeing them grow and andlearn and you know figure out
life is is one of the bestrewards.

SPEAKER_01 (04:58):
I love that.
So uh Eric, please tell ourlisteners one thing they should
remember about the Jerichogroup.

SPEAKER_00 (05:05):
I think it would be that um we have your back, we
understand you know, the theanxiety or fear or hesitation
that you might have.
But if you come alongside theright people that will help uh
execute on those ideas, and thekey word is execution, right?

(05:28):
Putting things and moving thingsforward, even if it's small
progress, um we'll help you makeit happen.

SPEAKER_01 (05:35):
Wonderful.
Well, how can our listenerslearn more about the Jericho
Group?

SPEAKER_00 (05:39):
I would definitely encourage you guys to uh go to
our website, uh the JerichoGroup Global.
The URL is tjg-g.com.
Uh try to keep it simple.
Um so it's tjg-g.com and send mea note or uh look me up in

(06:00):
LinkedIn and uh happy to have acoffee or a video chat and uh
figure out how I can help you.

SPEAKER_01 (06:06):
Wonderful.
Well, Eric, I really appreciateyou being on the show, and we
wish you and your business thereally very best moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 (06:14):
Thank you, Rachel, and uh I absolutely love what
you're doing through thispodcast.

SPEAKER_01 (06:19):
Wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 (06:21):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on the
show, go to gnporangecounty.com.
That's gnporangecounty.com orcall 714 941 8 862.